fight like a girl
by reignofdreams
Summary: Steve's learned a lot of things from a lot of different people. But the women in his life have always been his best teachers.


They're all kicking back in what Clint likes to call the Super-Special-Debrief Suite. It's really just the communal floor, the neutral space where they all gather when they get back from missions and just want to laze around together or need to patch each other up.

At the moment it's Clint and Steve and Tony on the couch just sort of flopped over and staring at the blank TV screen, recovering from yet another (ridiculously unnecessary) round with Von Doom and his veritable army of Doom Bots ("Where the hell does he even _keep_ them all?" Clint whines). Bruce went straight for his room while Natasha, Sam, and Bucky all headed straight for the kitchen and haven't come back since.

"JARVIS," Tony pipes up after about fifteen minutes of staring at the ceiling and the TV and back again. "JARVIS, do we have any of the footage left from ye oldie SHIELD days?"

Steve tilts his head just enough to quirk a brow at their resident genius.

"How far back would you like me to go, sir?" JARVIS replies.

Tony looks like he's thinking about it for a minute, but Clint beats him to the punch.

"How about some of the old Commando missions?" The question is as much for Steve as for JARVIS.

And yeah, remembering and seeing his friends still aches, but it's a good ache. It's the kind that Steve welcomes because it means that they got to live long fulfilling lives, and even though he couldn't be there with them, he can still connect in this small way.

So he nods his okay.

"Certainly," JARVIS confirms and the screen flickers to life.

The footage is black and white and slightly crackly, but Steve can still recognize Dum Dum and Gabe anywhere. They're somewhere in Austria, Steve remembers them passing through the town on one of their missions during the war. Steve watches as Dum Dum gestures pointedly at a map spread out on the floor of the truck they're riding in, Gabe laughing as a particularly large bump in the road sends Dum Dum toppling over.

He knows Tony and Clint are shooting glances at him every once in a while, and he appreciates the concern they show for him in their own small ways. But this is good.

On the screen, the Commandos reach wherever they're going and the truck slows to a stop. The camera pans shakily as everyone gets down from the truck, and for a moment all there is on screen is dirt.

"This person is a terrible cameraman," Clint grumbles. Steve laughs. Then the camera focuses back up and Steve gasps in delight.

There's Peggy, standing tall and giving orders left and right, beautiful and strong just as he remembers her. Steve can't stop the smile from breaking across his lips.

"Hey, there's Pegs!" Bucky says behind them, scaring the crap out of Tony as he makes his way over with popcorn.

"Getting you a damn bell," Tony mumbles. Bucky just flips him off as he gracefully folds and sits on the floor in front of Steve, leaning back against Steve's knees and holding the popcorn up in offer. Steve just chuckles and grabs a handful.

The Commandos and the rest of the unit move out, Peggy clearly in the lead. As they infiltrate their target, she signals the groups in different directions, Gabe and Dum Dum following loyally at her back.

Sam and Nat finally decide to join them, Sam taking the only spot left on the couch beside Clint as Natasha drapes herself across their laps and uses the couch arm as a back rest. Tony opens his mouth to comment, but one slightly raised brow has him immediately closing it in a rare moment of good sense.

"She's awesome in action," Bucky admires.

"Yeah," Steve agrees, "she really was."

Bucky tilts his head back to give Steve a long searching look. It's the look that asks if Steve is okay, if he wants to talk or if there's anything that Bucky can do to right whatever is wrong. And there's absolutely nothing wrong…not really, but Steve loves that about Bucky, loves that kindness at the core of him that not even Hydra was able to extinguish.

Steve shakes his head in answer and drops a quick kiss to Bucky's nose, which scrunches up adorably. Then they turn their attention back to the screen where things are beginning to pick up.

There are swarms of enemy soldiers bearing down on Peggy's group, some of them getting close enough for hand to hand combat. And now both Steve and Bucky share matching grins as Peggy leaps into action.

She socks one guy in the nose and throws a sharp elbow directly back into another guy's sternum. As that guy falls back clutching his chest and gasping, another tries to restrain her from behind—his mistake. Peggy drops into a dead weight slump, throwing the guy off balance. She immediately takes advantage, knocking his feet out from under him and spinning to deliver a brutal rabbit punch to his temple to knock him out cold. It's up close and personal, street fighting turned into art and she is absolutely brilliant.

"Now that's some impressive fighting right there," Sam says.

"Brutal, quick, and effective," Nat agrees. "Can't ask for much more than that."

"Hey, Cap, she kinda fights like you," Tony casually points out. Clint hums in agreement.

Steve laughs. "Actually, no. I fight like her."

The gob-smacked look on Tony's face sends Bucky and Sam into gales of laughter.

"Bullshit," Clint says, getting an elbow from Nat in return. Bucky and Sam just laugh harder.

Steve just shrugs. "I didn't get the way I am by brawling in Brooklyn and touring the country with the USO."

Bucky snorts. "Didn't exactly stop you from tryin' to take on everyone bigger than ya though," he says.

"What can I say?" Steve grins. "I don't like bullies."

"But she couldn't have taught you _everything_ …" Tony tries.

"Nah, not everything," Steve admits. "I learned most of the spinning kicks and thigh-lock take downs from Tasha."

He shoots Nat a smile and is met with a very smug grin in return.

There's silence for a few moments as they all watch Peggy and the Commandos finish off the mission unscathed. It's a comfortable few moments, as Steve watches his old friends while sitting amongst his new ones, Bucky safe and sound and with him making it the best of both worlds.

Of course, Tony's never been good at just letting things go.

"So pretty much what you're saying is you literally fight like a girl?" he asks.

There's a beat of silence as everyone waits to see if Nat will murder or maim Tony where he sits, but she seems perfectly content to continue lounging against Clint and Sam.

"Pretty much," Steve finally answers, brow raised in question. "Does it matter?"

"Hell yeah!" Tony says. "It totally explains why you kick everyone's ass. I mean, Pep could kick mine without lifting a finger, so if you're getting all your moves from the badass founder of SHIELD and our favorite queen of assassins? You've been holding out on us, Rogers."

Everyone laughs as Nat gives a mock queen wave in acknowledgment of the compliment. Tony's grinning like he's just discovered one of the keys to the universe and Steve can't help but smile with him. The women in his life really are brilliant.

"You know you could always ask Nat for some sessions," Steve innocently suggests. "I'm sure she could teach you some stuff."

Nat grins with a chesire smile and Tony pales. "Uh, no no, that's okay. The suit's, uh, not exactly ideal for you know…flips and flexibility and hand to hand."

"You don't know what you're missing," Clint laughs.

"A _lot_ of bruises," Sam grumbles in remembered suffering. Steve nods in commiseration. Only thing worse than throwing down on the mat with Nat teaching was when she and Bucky decided joint lessons were in order. Steve winces just at the memory.

"Aaanyway," Bucky cuts in slyly, "I wouldn't say _all_ his moves are from the ladies. That tendency of his to jump off big dangerous moving exploding objects? Yeah, that right there is 100% Steven Grant Rogers. Bona fide all-American, Brooklyn-bred, punk."

"Hey!" Steve objects as the group bursts out laughing. Bucky grins up at him completely unapologetic. "Jerk," Steve mumbles fondly.

"You love me anyway," Bucky counters.

Clint and Tony make gagging noises beside them.

"Yeah," Steve agrees, leaning down for a kiss. "Yeah I do."


End file.
